Blaenau Gwent Council has announced it is switching to a non-booking system for its new Household Waste and Recycling Centre in Roseheyworth, Abertillery. The new arrangements that came into place on Wednesday, March 16 2022, mean residents will no longer have to book an appointment to dispose of their waste at the recycling site, but can instead just turn up on the day.
The decision follows what has been described as mixed reviews about the current system, from residents who have used the site since it first opened in 2019. Many would now like to see other sites such as the centre in Ebbw Vale also change to a non-booking system as well.
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The site based in Roseheyworth near Abertillery was first opened in April 2019 to provide a full suite of recycling services to take items such as electrical goods, household batteries, garden waste, cardboard, paint, white goods such as freezers, fridges and washing machines, plus carpets and mattresses.
Blaenau Gwent council said the decision to operate a booking system was largely due to the Covid-19 pandemic, though it would now be changed after mixed reviews.
They said: "The decision gives local residents a choice of booking an appointment or turning up to dispose of their waste/recyclables. The original move to a booking system was made as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, as the council moved to restrict the numbers on site in order to keep residents and staff safe. However, many residents have indicated they have found the booking system easier and less time consuming at the site.
Steve Young is a member of the Ebbw Vale Litter Picking group and says this is a positive step for the areas of Blaina and Abertillery, however he would also like to see this option extended to the recycling site in Ebbw Vale, which will continue pre-booked appointments only.
He said: "It's definitely a positive step to make these kind of sites accessible without booking an appointment because often when people have waste they want to get rid of it straight away, especially if they live in flats or smaller properties. If you can just turn up now it definitely makes it easier, and could even reduce the amount of rubbish that's being fly-tipped in that area.
"From what I saw both the site in Abertillery and in Ebbw Vale have been under-utilised so it's a positive step to get one open as non-booking, though we would really like to see the Ebbw Vale centre be open without appointment as well as it is a more populated area. Hopefully this works well and they can have a look at that one soon."
Councillor Joanna Wilkins, the Council’s executive member for the environment, said it was important that the council continues to take this kind of feedback from residents on board.
She said: "We want all Council services to be as convenient and as easy to access as is possible. We always strive to take on board the views of our residents on the services that are important to them and so in this case we have decided to trial a ‘hybrid’ system for using our recycling centres. Feedback has shown that residents are mixed in their views on having an appointment system or not, proving that both have benefits, so we have made a decision to trial this option.
"The site at Roseheyworth has been designed to cope with a higher volume of traffic so that is the reason for removing the booking system there. It also allows people to turn up to The Den reuse shop which is located on site. We all need to be thinking about refuse and helping the environment and this shop is well worth a visit."
